A Love That Knows No Bounds
by Judge1964
Summary: Late S2. When Katara is taken to be brainwashed, Aang is lost. Unable to find his Forever Girl, and struggling to hold back the Avatar State, the Last Airbender must figure out which is stronger: His own will, or the will of those who've lived before him? Kataang.
1. First Mistake

**Actual Story Incoming!**

**So, watching the actually scary mind control Long Feng displayed in the latter half of S2, my first thought was what if Katara was brainwashed? Because my mind is a scary and disturbing place that no person should enter. This was my first project in the Avatar fandom, and as such, I have a story outline. Though...I tend not to stick to those. **

**The thought was, what if Team Avatar never exposed Long Feng? After all, the plan only worked because Appa bit Feng. So, for this story, Aang never called attention to that bite mark, and the Earth King didn't believe their story about the war.**

**Enjoy!**

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

Toph scowled as Team Avatar left the palace. "The King doesn't believe us? How can he ignore an entire war!"

Katara rested her hand on Toph's shoulder. "Calm down, To-" her hand fell away as Toph shook her off. Shaking her head, Katara sped up to walk beside Aang. "So, what's the plan?"

Aang thought for a moment. "All I have is that we show the King what the outside is really like. But we're not going to get anywhere near him now." He gave Katara a smile. "But we'll figure it out. We always do."

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

"That girl." Long Feng narrowed his eyes as the Avatar and his friends walked down the street. "We need to separate her from the Avatar."

The Dai Li Captain waited for his orders. "What would you have us do?"

Feng thought for a moment. "Have some of your men attack the Avatar and his friends. Separate the girl from the Avatar, then bring her to me."

The Captain saluted. "Yes sir."

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

For a brief moment, pure silence dominated the group, each thinking their own separate thoughts. Toph was still boiling about how the war was being ignored, while Sokka was nearby, worried that he was about to be earth bended into a wall.

Aang and Katara were walking side by side, their hands almost touching. "Katara," the Avatar began. "I wanted to ask you something."

Katara turned her head to face him and gave a soft smile. "Yes, Aang?"

Aang swallowed. "I-"

Sokka forced himself in-between the two. "The Dai Li are following us!"

In an instant, Aang and Katara moved back-to-back, ready to fight. Aang held his staff in a defensive position, and Katara raised her water whip, ready to strike.

The Dai Li charged, and Aang threw three of them back with a wind-strike, while Katara sent one careening into a wall with her whip. "Aang!" She shouted. "Get down!"

Aang ducked, while a wall of water flew over both sides and his head, sending the remaining agents into walls or floors. Aang stood and helped Katara up. "Thanks."

The girl nodded, then her eyes widened. "Look out!" Throwing Aang aside, Katara launched her water canteen at a charging agent, sending him to the ground.

Aang stood and smiled at Katara. "Good-"

She was gone.

Smile slipping, Aang turned around the plaza, seeing if Katara was fighting other agents. But she just vanished. "Katara?"

Several agents blocked his path, but Aang wasn't in the mood to fight. He air-blasted the remaining Dai Li to the ground and ran after where he thought the girl had been taken. "_Katara_!"

Running until he reached a dead end, Aang looked around, desperate for any clues that might help.

Nothing.

Shaking his head in fury at himself, Aang rejoined Sokka and Toph, who were dealing with the remaining few Dai Li agents. Sokka threw his boomerang, and turned to Aang. "Where's Katara?"

Aang unleashed all his anger on an approaching agent, sending him into a wall with a combination of earth and water bending. Then he turned to Sokka, anger having given way to sorrow.

"She was taken."

Toph turned to the duo, earth bending an agent away in the same moment. "What do we do?"

Aang looked at the ground. "I don't know."

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

"LET ME GO!" Katara struggled in the grips of the Dai Li. "Don't touch me!" Pausing for breath, the girl chuckled. "The Avatar will find you." She allowed herself a smile at the thought of what Aang would do in order to find her. "None of you stand a chance. Your best chance is to let me go right now."

The agents dragged her into a room and slow clapping could be heard. "Well done, Miss Katara." The voice in the shadows emerged to reveal Long Feng, who had a sinister smile on. "Your speech would move most men. The power of the Avatar is not something to be trifled with."

Katara struggled as the Dai Li placed her in binders. "Then just let me go!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that." Feng's smile grew. "See, you were mostly correct. The Avatar would destroy this place to find you, because of what you mean to him."

Realisation dawned on Katara. "You took me in order to hurt Aang?"

Feng nodded. "My men have been observing you for the past several days. You have no idea just how much you mean to the Avatar. With you by his side, the Avatar would be impossible to defeat. But with you here…"

Katara got his point. "You're never going to let me go, are you."

"It sounds so much colder when you put it that way." Feng turned to the door. "But yes."

Without another word, the Secretariat left, leaving Katara alone in the darkness.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

Aang entered their home, stunned and angered to find Sokka and Toph eating. With a quick flick of his wrist, their dinner was on the floor. "How can you eat right now! Katara is in danger!"

Toph rested her head against the wall. "Calm down, Twinkletoes. Katara will be fine."

"Aang." Sokka grabbed his shoulders. "Katara's gotten herself out of tighter messes than this. Besides, we have no idea where to look." Shaking himself free, Aang turned and stalked to the door, flinging it open and stepping outside. "Where are you going?"

Aang didn't look back. "To go find her!"

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). Hypnosis is a genuinely scary concept, but it's also fascinating. So while that aspect of the story will be based in research, I don't actually know if you can remove specific memories via hypnosis, so I have to take some creative liberties. Besides, the show _kinda _did it with Jet. **

**II). The Avatar state is also a fascinating concept to me, simply because Aang never controls it until the final episode. I'm not entirely sure what triggers it, but losing the people he loves seems to be one. So, question for you guys. If Aang was willing to destroy everything when he thought Katara was sucked underground in that episode whose name I'm forgetting, how do you think he'll fare here?**

**III). Not sure how I feel about the line break bubbles. Thoughts? Suggestions?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


	2. Rage and Serenity

**Thanks to AnonymousKATAANG, Masterninja999, Timewriter21 and Ashley Barbosa for the feedback!**

**Ashley Barbosa: I could have sworn there was a moment in the show where Katara was kidnapped, and Sokka shrugged it off-at least for a moment. That's what I was basing it off of. **

**Masterninja999: I do agree with that, but I will add in extreme anger to triggers for the Avatar State. In S2, when Appa was taken, Aang entered the Avatar State, but there was no threat of anyone dying. **

**AnonymousKATAANG: That's a critique of mine for myself. I know my chapters are short, but they are slowly getting longer. When I started, I could barely get a chapter past 500 words. Now we're at a thousand minimum. Slow progress is better than no progress. **

**Aang _may _be OOC in this story, but then again, we never really see a threat like someone being taken for an extended period of time. I'm going to go ahead and base Aang in this story similar to the Aang in the desert after Appa was taken, as that is our best source of angry Aang. **

**Enjoy!**

** . . . **

Anger was the core emotion Aang was feeling as he stormed away from the house. Even if Katara had a knack for escaping**, **and Sokka was developing a plan while eating, it still irritated Aang that he was out there searching while the others were snacking.

He growled. "Come on, think! Where would she be?"

Aang climbed to the top of a bell tower and stared at the horizon, racking his brain for anywhere Katara could be. His friends weren't helping, so it was down to him.

_Help me!_

Aang whirled, facing a sea of sky. "Where are you, Katara?"

** . . . **

Katara stared at the strange device in the middle of the room. "What is this?"

Long Feng entered the room. "This is a brainwashing device. I am going to remove any memories pertaining to the Avatar." He smiled as the girl's eyes grew in shock. "You could pass him on the street and never know it."

Katara fought against her chains. "No! Don't take away my memories of him! You can't!"

Feng chuckled. "I am aware of your requited feelings. While I cannot remove those, I can erase the person they pertain to."

"So I'll still love Aang, I just won't know who he is." Katara spat, and used bending to slam it into the man. "I'd rather die."

Feng smirked as he wiped the spit off. "Unfortunately, numerous test subjects have died to this device in a futile attempt to resist. If you want to see the Avatar again, even if you don't know who it is, I suggest you obey."

Katara glowered. "You're repulsive."

Feng turned to the door. "No, I'm trying to keep Ba Sing Se out of this war. That cannot happen if you and the Avatar are here." He gestured to his men. "Start the sequence."

A Dai Li Agent stepped in front of Katara. "You don't know who the Avatar is."

A ball of light began to circle around Katara, and she closed her eyes, only to be shocked into opening them. She glared at the agent holding a pike, and struggled to keep her eyes on anything but the light.

"You don't know Aang."

_Aang. _

Her best friend.

She couldn't forget him. She _wouldn't._

** . . . **

Aang slowly walked down Freedom Street, straining his eyes to follow the Dai Li every time they appeared. One of them knew where Katara was, and eventually one would lead him to her.

Strong arms gripped his shoulders, and Aang turned on instinct, pushing the offender away with a mild wind-push. In an instant, several Di Lie agents were upon him, and Aang offered a smile.

"Catch me if you can!"

Air-jumping onto a roof, Aang ran, noting the agents following him on the ground. Jumping onto a higher roof, the Avatar grinned as he saw the house a few blocks away.

"Stop, Kid!"

Air-pushing a carton of cabbage in his pursuers way, to the offended cry of _'my cabbages!' _Aang jumped from street to street, arriving at the house without any agents still on his trail. Then he remembered who else lived in the house.

His friends.

Bracing himself, Aang opened the door, walking in to meet the stares of Toph and Sokka, the latter looking guilty, the former indifferent.

Sokka walked up to him. "I'm sorry, Aang." He looked at the ground. "I should have gone with you to look for my sister."

Aang nodded. "It's okay. I didn't find much." His gaze shifted to Toph. "What about you?"

Toph shrugged. "The Sugar Queen'll get out of it. She usually does."

Sokka angrily started towards her, but Aang held him back, shaking his head. "It's not worth it." He gestured to the door. "Come on."

Once outside, Sokka turned to Aang. "What do we do now?"

Aang sat on the ground with folded legs. "The Dai Li tried to capture me today. So they're scared that we'll find Katara."

After a moment of pacing, Sokka mimicked Aang's stance. "Any idea of where she is?"

Frustration peeked through Aang's aura of calm, and he shook his head. "No. She could be five houses down from us, or down at Lake Laogai. I don't have a clue where to start."

** . . . **

"There is no Avatar."

Katara met the agent with a hard stare. "There is, and his name is Aang. He's my best friend. I would die for him."

The agent stared back. "If you don't obey, you very well may." He continued. "There is no Aang."

Katara shook her head, the only part of her body unrestrained. "There is! I love him."

"A pity, that." Suddenly, the torches ignited, and Long Feng entered the room. "Considering he will never hear you say those words."

Katara glared at the man. "He will one day."

Feng was silent for a moment. "I think not." Abruptly, he turned to the door and doused the torches. "Continue."

The Agent stepped forward. "There is no war."

** . . . **

"Okay, we need a plan." Aang stood and looked at Sokka. "We can't just go house to house looking for her."

Sokka was silent for a moment. "What if we use Momo to track her scent?"

Aang sighed. "There's too many. She's been gone a day now." He turned away. "Any trail will be cold by now."

Sokka grabbed his shoulder. "Aang, it's going to be fine. Katara'll-"

Aang whirled on him, eyes and tattoos beginning to glow. "It won't be okay! She's gone, and all I can do is sit here! She's going to die while we're still thinking of a plan!"

Sokka slowly backed away. "Aang…"

As abruptly as the Avatar State had come on, it vanished, leaving Aang kneeling on the ground. "I'm sorry, Sokka."

Somewhat timidly, Sokka knelt beside him. "What was that?"

Aang sighed and sat against the wall of the house. "My Avatar State. I can't control it. It just…activates…when I'm angry. A while ago, we were at General Fung's, and he made me think he killed Katara."

Sokka nodded. "And you destroyed the entire base."

"I did." Aang looked at the night sky. "And now I'm faced with the idea of her death every day. I might slip."

Sokka firmly placed his hand on Aang's shoulder. "We'll still be here if you do."

Aang spared him a smile and returned to staring at the sky. "Thanks." Abruptly, he stood. "I have an idea."

** . . . **

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). In my research, I discovered that hypnosis can't erase memories. But, seeing as Feng did that to Jet, I'm going to take the creative liberty of Feng actually being able to pull something off like erasing an entire person from someone's mind. **

**II). Toph is surprisingly fun to write, because she's so hostile around and to Katara. For..reasons I'm not entirely sure of. Why does Toph dislike Katara again? It can't be as simple as the 'she acts like a mother' thing, right?**

**III). May take some creative liberties with the Avatar State, such as it appearing more often. But, if Aang's constantly under the pressure of losing Katara, it's not that far off, right?**

**IV). So, those three dots are my new attempt at a page break. Thoughts? Suggestions?**

**Thanks for reading! **

**Judge**


	3. Banging

**Thanks to Ashley Barbosa for the feedback!**

**Enjoy!**

**. . . . . . . . . . **

"Why are we out here in the middle of the night?" Toph grumbled as Aang led her into the middle of the street. "The Dai Li could still be around."

"That's why we're doing this at night." Aang stopped and looked around. "I need you to help me find Katara."

Toph sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with." She turned her head towards Aang. "So, what's the plan?"

Aang stared at the dust on the street for a moment. "I need you to earth bend the dust off the ground, while I air bend the scents in the dust to Momo, who'll try and find Katara."

Toph was silent. "Seems like a long shot. It's been two days; do you really think Katara's scent can still be found?"

Aang turned on her. "No, but what other choice do we have?" His voice grew louder. "Katara could die at any moment, and this is our best chance to find her!"

**. . . . . . . . . . **

Long Feng sighed as he heard his captain entered the room. "Let me guess; she still hasn't broken?"

The other man sighed. "She's especially resilient."

Feng turned from the window. "And you were trained to defeat everyone." He walked towards the door. "Very well, I will question her myself."

Walking towards the water bender's cell, Feng could hear the Dai Li agent's monotonous phrases, and Katara's denial. Shaking his head, he opened the door and stepped in. "Leave us."

As the agent left, Feng sighed as he studied the girl. Exhaustion was evident in her form; the Dai Li had prevented her from sleeping more than a few hours at a time. Yet her eyes still held that same defiance. It was admirable, really.

"I know you value the Avatar's life over your own." Feng gave a small smile. "And I respect that about you. Both you and the Avatar are willing to die for the other. We received word that the Avatar is looking for you."

The girl smiled. "He will find me."

"Unlikely." Feng's smile grew. "If he does, I'll kill you. And then him." He inched closer to the girl. "But, there is a way to prevent that from happening. To prevent the Avatar from being in that cell next to you; you being forced to listen to his screams." He nodded as the girl's eyes widened. "You have the power to stop that. If you submit to the sessions, I will allow your friends to leave the city unharmed."

**. . . . . . . . . . **

Aang stared at the sinking moon, lost. They had been out all night, trying everything they could think of. But no Katara. "I don't understand."

Toph sighed. "Maybe she isn't even in Ba Sing Se. They could have moved her."

Aang broke his gaze off from the moon. "No. She's still here; I can sense it."

"You can sense her?" Toph scoffed. "Are you blind now?"

Aang sighed. "It's complicated." He glanced at the moon one final time. "The full moon is tomorrow. My Water Bending will be at it's height. We can try again then."

Toph was silent for a moment. "Aang," she hesitantly began, "I don't think it will find her. I-"

Aang whirled on her, eyes beginning to lighten up. "You're just going to abandon her?"

Toph took a careful step back. "No, but I think we need to be careful. The Dai Li-" She stopped talking as Aang started hovering above the ground, eyes and tattoos glowing. "Aang?"

"Katara would _never _give up on you." Aang's voice was deeper, as if there were more voices behind it. "She would have kept looking until she found you!"

_Sokka and I, we're your family now!_

Gasping, Aang dropped out of the Avatar State, crumbling to his knees. Feeling eyes on him, he raised his head to see Sokka and Toph staring at him. I'm-I'm fine."

Sokka ushered Toph away and knelt beside Aang. "I know what this is doing to you. You almost went crazy trying to find Appa, and this is worse. But you have to fight it."

Aang sat against a wall. "I don't know if I can." He admitted. "I don't control the Avatar State." He looked at Sokka. "If I endanger the group, leave. Take Appa and finish the mission. Go to the Eastern Air Temple."

Sokka slowly nodded. "Okay. And you'd stay here to find her?"

Aang nodded and stood. "I have to."

**. . . . . . . . . . **

"There is no Avatar."

Katara looked away from the light and shook her head. "There is. You can't just make me forget all about him!"

The Agent paused. "There is no war."

Katara chuckled. "The war killed my mother, and hundreds of my people. I couldn't forget it if I tried."

"There is no Aang."

_I have to ask you something. _

"There is no Avatar."

_Do you want to go penguin sledding with me?_

Long Feng entered the room, and Katara resisted the urge to spit on him again. She would need all the water she could find. "Have you thought about my proposal?"

Katara narrowed her eyes. "You won't be able to capture Aang. Even if you did, you wouldn't kill him just to keep Ba Sing Se out of the war. He's the Earth Kindom's last hope. So no, I won't take your deal."

Feng nodded and turned to the Agent. "Bring another device into the cell." He glanced at Katara. "Break her at any cost."

**. . . . . . . . . . **

**Chapter Notes!**

**I). Aang's not doing too hot mentally. I have no proof that remembering Katara would snap him out of the Avatar State, but we don't know a whole lot about that to begin with. I will allow it.**

**II). You know how you can kinda sense when someone's in trouble, even if you don't know anything about it? I kinda see that for Aang and Katara. He _knows _she's in the city, he just has no clue where.**

**III). So Katara is basically going down a list of every romantic thing Aang's said to her in an attempt to hold on. (Gives me an excuse to go over the series with a fine-tooth comb)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Judge**


End file.
